My Identity, Shrouded in Fear
by GingerlyHibiki
Summary: This little girl, Hikaru, might not be who she says she is. With Ranma gone, Akane is a little suspicious about her...
1. Prologue

Hello...

Please try to enjoy...this is my first story!

-Hibiki

My Identity, Shrouded in Fear

Prolouge

The Tendo household was very quiet. Knowing the circumstances of this family, and what kind of chaos usually unfolds, it was too quiet. Soun Tendo, the head of the family, decided to take a little stroll around the house to see what everyone was up to.

Kasumi was preparing dinner in the kitchen, as usual for her, but she was quiet. She wasn't humming along with her cooking, as she normally would. She had on a smug look, confusing Soun. Usually Kasumi was so cheerful. It almost seemed like Kasumi was the strongest one of the family, and she kept everyone positive and going. Even when times were hard, she was always smiling. So, this was odd behavior. Kasumi depressed is like the world ending, for Soun at least. She was a naturally oblivious child, but she could not ignore this problem and smile through it. Her strength was gone and the whole family was starting to crumble. Nabiki was counting her money as usual, but she was a little off about it as well. She usually loved counting the wads of cash she had stowed away. Her sarcastic tone was gone. She hasn't said "Kuno-Baby" in a while, she just calls him Kuno. She lacked the usual pep, and she didn't find it as fun nowadays. Feeling quite disturbed by her and Kasumi, he went to check on Akane, who, undoubtedly, was sulking in her room.

Whenever Akane actually left her room, it was for food or school. When it was for food, she would grab her meal, and eat it upstairs. For school, she just walked out the door. She stopped using the dojo, and stopped practicing the 'Anything Goes' style anymore. It was just painful for her. She doesn't talk any more either. She has become more selective to those who hear her voice. For now, the only one she's allowed is Kasumi. If you wanted to talk to her, you'd have to guess what she's thinking. For most of the time, though, everyone knows what she's thinking.

'Ranma'

Ukyo, owner of Okonomiyaki Ucchan's, started to set up shop for the morning. Business has been slow, maybe her regulars were depressed too. Maybe they wanted her to cheer up before coming back. Her okonomiyaki was only half as good when she was sad. She was in a depressed state, but nothing compared to Akane. She knew she had lost, but that didn't stop her from grieving. They were best friends, two peas in a pod. At least that's what she thought for years. He hadn't even noticed that she was a girl until she told him. They both were at fault, she believed. She eventually began to see him as a prize to be won, like Shampoo did. Who is she to call her his best friend? Even so, who wouldn't be depressed? Konatsu, her loyal worker, started to heat up the grills, hoping he wouldn't mess it up. He knew that she wouldn't do it this morning either. The grill burst into flames, but only because he wasn't watching the grill. He was watching her.

He kept his eyes on her graceful figure, cloaked in sadness. Her eyes, they looked lonely, as if she'll never find happiness again. It looked as though all the guilt she felt for the way she treated her so-called "best friend" was on her shoulders, crushing her. She _**was**_ lonely, she _**did**_ fell all the guilt crushing her, but she wouldn't let Konatsu comfort her. This disturbed him. She was in pain, but she didn't want his help, and he couldn't force it on her. He didn't want to pity her, but that was all he could do. All he could do is watch this fragile girl face her problems that no one at that age should have to face, alone. He felt helpless. Most nights, even clear ones, it would rain. He could hear the pouring rain, and he could do nothing to calm the storm. All he could do was read her thoughts, sit outside her door, and listen to the rain. There was only one thought, though. She only thinks of one thing.

'Ranma, I'm so sorry'

Everyone else though, they were thinking,

'Where is he? That Ranma.'

No one has seen him since the incident with Phoenix Mountain. He just up and left. All the "fiancées" are devastated. Genma tried to find him, to no avail. Next came the police, who couldn't find him either. Then there came a lead of where he could be, and they followed it. All they came to find was an unrecognizable corpse. They used a blood sample near the body to determine who it was, and it came out to be Ranma. Akane couldn't even make it to the funeral, or out of her room. Since then, she only spoke to Kasumi, the only one she could ask for help. Ukyo managed to get there, but she couldn't take it. She had to leave halfway through. That instant was the moment the cloak of darkness sat upon her shoulders. Only Shampoo has moved on. She went back to China. She only saw Ranma as a prize to be won. Cologne also went, and closed up the Cat Café. Mousse has taken this harder than you would've thought. He didn't have anyone to fight. No enemies. But then again, he also had no one to stand between him and Shampoo. Ryoga was different. He had actually begun to start being friends with Saotome, and he hated to see that just disappear. He hated to see Akane like this. Kodachi, well, she murdered Sasuke for telling her the news. She's locked in a mental institution. Even Tachi felt a pang of sorrow. Like Mousse, no enemies to fight. No one to win over. The Nerima has sadly been reduced to a quiet neighborhood, with the 'wrecking crew' disbanded. Ranma like the chaos to some extent, so why did he leave?

Why would he want that?


	2. Good For Her

Thank you for actually reading my story!

I OWN NOTHING

My Identity, Shrouded in Fear

Chapter 1:

Good For Her

Today was a quiet day, like all of the rest nowadays. Tofu Ono, the local doctor, was just opening up his little office for the day. He never had any visitors, well, except for the elderly and Ranma. Usually Akane was always with him. She always felt bad, because she was always the cause of his injuries. Kasumi sometimes came by, and that's when things got bad. He'd dance around like a fool. But, Kasumi came by more often nowadays, and he seemed to keep a cool head, for the most part. He'd dance around only for a few minutes now. He could talk to her, and they would have an actual conversation. But, the matter is _why_ Kasumi kept visiting. Was she bored, now that Ranma was gone? Or, did she want to be better friends with him? His glasses shone pure white at that thought. These questions, only to be left unanswered, kept popping up in his head. The only question that _couldn't_ be answered, though, was still on everyone's mind.

'Where is Ranma Saotome'

Akane, depressed as usual, just got word that her class would be taking a trip to Tokyo Tower that following week. Of all times she decided to pay attention in class. She hated class trips with a burning passion of a thousand suns. They just bothered her to no end. They just walked around and looked at things that people thought were interesting. They also had to talk to other people and walk around with other people. You couldn't be alone, ever. She hated that.

"Oh my, what fun! You really should go. It'd be great!" Kasumi replied as soon as Akane told her. She knew exactly what her sister was going to say, but she told her anyway. Over dinner, Kasumi decided to tell everyone, being oblivious to Akane at the moment. That was nice, though. Her sister was a little off for a while. She cares for only some people, but she wanted Kasumi to be happy, and back to her usual self. "Might as well go. Better than school, in my opinion." Nabiki's answer, with a hint of sarcasm coming back to her voice. That was good, that meant she was getting back to her sneaky, sarcastic ways, even after losing her most gullible customer. Nevertheless, she still had Kuno, and he was always really gullible. Her father had the same answer, that she should go. 'Fine.' She thought, with her pouty face put on. She showed emotion for the first time in a while. She always had a blank and stoic expression on her face. Maybe she'll open up a little more if she went on this trip. She could recover, and eventually forget Ranma. She was already starting to change for the better. They were asking for a lot, but, it could be done. They all thought,

'This is good for her'

A week passed by like a hour. Like they say, time flies when you're (not really) having fun. Akane was still in her usual schedule, nothing new happened since she told her family about the trip. Here she was, standing at Tokyo Tower. Why was this even a field trip for high school? They _**do**_ live in Tokyo, after all. It was particularly crowded that day, much to her discontent. She hated crowds. In crowds, people showed less consideration to others. She just wanted to go home and cry, locked in her room. When she was with Ranma, people would give them space, knowing he was a martial artist. She was deep in her thoughts when someone knocked into her. This is what she meant. No respect for anyone. It didn't even matter that she was standing in the middle of the platform, doing nothing whatsoever.

"Oh, goodness me. I am so very sorry, miss." Said a caring, yet apologetic voice, and Akane was to find that it belonged to a beautiful young girl. For a second, she thought this girl was Kasumi. Not what she expected, a sincere apology. You can tell by the tone in her voice. Astonished, Akane took a nice look at this girl. She was maybe 5'1", and had curly blonde hair, reaching just past her chin. She seemed foreign, but she was obviously Japanese. She wore glasses, and a green uniform, signifying that she was from an elite school. "No, it's fine, I was in the way." Akane muttered, just loud enough for this girl to hear. Why did she just say that? This girl's a stranger! Maybe it was because she looked a lot like Kasumi?

"You see, I just wanted to give that girl over there some money, because she was having so much fun, and I ran into you without looking." She gestured towards a girl, possibly have way too much fun on the binoculars.

"I was just standing here, wishing I wasn't." Again, why did she even respond?

"Oh? Well, that's too bad. Try to have a nice day, miss!"

There she went, almost skipping over to the girl with long, red, hair...

...in a pigtail.

A sense of déjà vu swept over her. Is it Ranma? It couldn't be…could it? Before she could get to this girl and look at her face, there was a bright light engulfing the tower. Blinded, all she could do it listen to a desperate voice.

"Please save our world, legendary Magic Knights!"

The floor seemed to melt, drowning her. Of all times she wished she could swim. Another reason to hate class trips. She can't swim.

'what is going on?', she asked herself. The only thought that was racing through her mind was that.

Then she was gone.


	3. Within The Eyes Of The Beholder

Thank you for the reviews!

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My Identity, Shrouded In Fear

Chapter 2:

Within The Eyes Of The Beholder

Akane was falling.

Not as much as trip-and-fall kind of falling, as no-ground kind of falling. She wasn't drowning?!

There was no floor. It was just gone, as if it melted away, into a parallel world. She knew she was NOT in Tokyo. I mean, there were mountains in the SKY, for goodness sakes! To her instant relief, she fell on to the ground, not the water. But, she was not alone. A gigantic flying fish, of all things, dropped three other girls next to her. She recognize two of them. One was the girl who knocked into her, and the other...

...was the girl with the braid.

She got a good look about this girl, and felt like she knew her. There's no way, though, she wasn't Ranma. Her aura was much different. She looked weaker, and had no skill, other than being annoying. Even under these circumstances, she still wanted to know her name.

The last girl she didn't know. She had blue hair, much like herself, but at a lighter shade. She was tall and lean, looked quite fast. Her inner martial artist was judging people based on their physical stature. She needed to stop doing that, she quit martial arts. No more for her. The girl, on the other hand, was freaking out. There were no Häagen Dazs here! And here Akane thought that the redhead would be the annoying one!

When she was screaming about what to do, the girl with the blonde hair spoke up. In her quiet voice, she stated "We should introduce ourselves."

The blue-haired one, however, did not agree with this statement, but everyone else agreed, so she went along with it.

"Fine. I'm Umi Ryuuzaki. I'm fourteen and in the eighth grade."

Next, the blonde one."I'm Fuu Hououji. I'm also fourteen, and it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Finally, the suspicious one with the braid."I'm Hikaru Shidou! I'm fourteen too!" Everyone, excluding Akane, fell from the shock of her age. "What?!"

"I'm very sorry, I thought you were in grade school!" Fuu apologized. "Me too!" Added Umi.

After that misunderstanding, the three of them turned to Akane. "Who are you?" Umi asked quite rudely...

"Akane Tendo." This is the first time she has spoken since he left. She was quite surprised at herself. she wouldn't even answer to her own father, or Kasumi.

"What grade are you in? How about your age?" Umi inquired, not losing that annoying touch.

"I'm seventeen and going into eleventh grade."

"Wow! You're old!" Again, another immensely rude comment from Umi, annoying the living day lights out of Akane.

"Thank you." Akane was really putting a lot of effort holding back this one. She should get an award for this.

This 'Umi' looked fuming right about now, and just as she was going to respond, a little kid came out of the forest. Or, at least what LOOKED like a kid. The strange thing, though, he was holding a staff. It was hard to explain, it was shaped almost like an animal. He had hair of the lightest shade of Lavender imaginable. He wore all white, Akane now began to believe she was , he spoke.

"Hello, legendary Magic Knights." This little kid kept going on about how the other three had to save the princess from some evil guy, or something like that. Akane did not care, this little man didn't consider she was even there. Since the conversation seemed to leave her out, Akane didn't really listen. At least until Hikaru spoke.

"I'll do it. It's a martial artist's duty to defend the weak."

That is exactly what Ranma would've said in a situation like this, if he agreed to help. Akane was a little more intrigued in the conversation. She listened in, while this kid, Clef, gave the other girls magic. She felt like it was all about them. 'Sure, they're special, but why don't you acknowledge me?' She questioned herself, but it would be answered.

"What about me?" A quiet voice escaped her lips. "Who are you? A villager?" This 'Clef' questioned.

"No. I came with them."

"Really? Well, this is a problem..."

"How? Am I not worthy to at least help in the cause?" Akane was starting to get annoyed with everyone today. Execpt for Fuu. She seemed to like her.

"It's just tha-"

Before he could finish, a woman appeared. Akane kind of zoned out during the conversation, because, well, wasn't directed toward her. No surprise,she isn't a dang 'Magic Knight'.Then Clef shoved the others onto a gigantic bird-griffin thing that he summoned, of course, forgetting she was there. At that same time, another man seemed to show up. He came in with a 'bang' (ha ha), as lightning seemed to shoot out of nowhere. Of course, this guy cannot aim. He was aiming for the kid.

Akane felt a pain she has never felt before. It was as if her body was speeding up too much, the slowing down over and over again. 'I bet Ranma could deal with this, but I am not as strong as him. Ranma...'

Her last thoughts before blacking out.


End file.
